


Echoing

by OurDeal



Category: National Football League RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-20 23:07:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20683454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OurDeal/pseuds/OurDeal
Summary: Danny still thinks about Julian even if they are miles apart.





	Echoing

**Author's Note:**

> One-shot. Sorry that it's so short.

There’s some type of burden with leaving the ones you love. Family is always there, but when needed, it’s hard to connect. Starting over sucks—something that Danny knows all too well. He wishes that he didn’ have to start over—to be further away from Julian, but here he is—fucking wishing that he was in Boston instead of Detroit. It’s not even the team that upsets him, it’s the fact that this is him putting his life back together—_again. _ There’s so much one man can go through before he’s had enough, and Danny finds himself slowly reaching that point.

_I wish I knew what you were doing. Do you even miss me? I never got a chance to tell you about how I feel. _Tears come to Danny’s eyes as he gets deeper into his thoughts. There was a time and place where the pain would lie—dormant and unmoving, until he was forced to leave, with him facing up to his pain. It still feels as if everything he knew as just pulled out from right under him. There was no grand plan to go on. It more of a _see ya! _And that was it. No fanfare for his dismissal, nor fight for him…it was just all so awful and underwhelming. There wasn’t some party either, it was more of one moment he was there and the next, he was gone. Leaving behind everything he knew for another coast.

There are scars everywhere. A roadmap of grief and anger. Some invisible and deep down, others are at a surface level. There’s some on his heart—fine lines that won’t go even after piecing the organ back together. Jagged lines on his side—nights where broken glass was his weapon of choice. Those don’t hurt as deep as the ones on his heart. A fragile little thing that has been broken one too many times.

Trying to forget his pain, Danny would go out to forget. Foggy memories of bodies in his bed followed by the emptiness of the morning after in his bed. Every weekend was something new—a drink of choice or someone who wanted to go home with him for the night but leave by the morning without a goodbye.

It wasn’t even that part that would hurt—it was always the feelings after. The sadness and loneliness he feels after every encounter, wishing and hoping that he’ll find his happiness somewhere on someday in some city. Knowing that he was trying to deal with hurt feelings—especially with the feelings of betrayal. The feeling of loss at an opportunity for something—anything with Julian. He couldn’t handle moving around anymore—but he didn't have the courage to verbalize it. He’s tired, and he knows it. Football, while it’s been a grand privilege to play…nothing can compare to the rush of the fans feeding into the game and all of the emotions that come with it…he no longer finds joy in it. What he thought he wanted from the game, he already got.

Taking a glance at the mirror in his bathroom, Danny knows that it’s now or never. Having to admit that you’re ready to go is one thing—having to admit that you’re tired, is another. Coming to terms with it is something Danny has fought with for months. _There’s nothing left for you, Danny. You’ve done all you could do and now it’s time to give it up. Time to fade into the background because you’re ready. You don’t want this life anymore. It was your dream once, but now it’s time to put that dream away. If there’s anything you’ve been sure of, is that this is no longer for you. You’ve had your fun, you’ve met amazing people and set achievements that you’ve blown out of the water. _His cell begins to vibrate from the bathroom counter, with Julian’s name flashing across the screen. Danny’s heart does a flip in his chest, and he can feel the cracks on the surface of the organ begin to leak his feelings into his body. No matter how much glue he’s used to putting it back together, it’s still not perfect. His thumb slides across the screen to answer the call, and for a moment, he’s nervous.

“Hey Dola, it’s been a while since we’ve talked last. How are you?” There are so many things that Danny can answer to that, but he knows that none of the things that he’s thinking about would be right. His heart begins to beat faster, because this is his chance, but again, Jules might have his reasons to call.

“yeah…it’s been okay. I know that I haven’t been on the same team as you in like two years, but even still, I miss you guys. I wish I could have stuck around, but I had to move on. The team wasn’t going to make an offer and I knew that there was nothing left for me to give. Most of all though, I miss you, Jules.” Danny feels his back collide with his mattress, the sheets feeling soft on his bareback. Turning on his side, he imagines Julian lying right next to him, smiling back.

“Listen, I need you to do me a favor, okay. There’s something that I sent you and it’s coming in today. I want you to pick it up and then tell me what it is. From what the tracker on my phone tells me, it should be there soon.” This piques Danny’s interest—what kind of thing could Jules send him that needed to be tracked by said blond. Danny’s body feels tired, and he knows that he’s starting to fall asleep while Julian is on the phone, but he could care less. Julian’s voice is the only thing he would want to hear as he falls asleep anyway. Danny’s so tired that he doesn’t realize that Julian has already hung up by the time his eyes close.

_Looking out towards the lake, the cool water brushing up against the bottom of his feet as he sits on the pier. It rocks slowly, a gentle wave moving it left to right and back again. He feels a hand holding his, and looking over, he sees it’s Julian who is sitting right next to him. Julian’s hair shines in the afternoon light, and he can see himself in Julian’s sunglasses. Julian leans forward to plant a kiss on Danny’s cheek, and the butterfly feeling comes back. Danny can’t believe what’s happening. It’s what he’s always wanted. His soul feels whole for the first time in a while, and it feels great. There’s nothing—_A loud knock wakes Danny from his sleep. Knowing what Julian said in the earlier conversation, he slowly makes his way to his front door.

Not even bothering to look through the peephole, he swings the door open to come face to face with Julian himself. Before he knows what, he’s doing, he’s throwing his arms around the man. It feels so good to have Julian in his arms, he almost has to pinch himself to know that it’s real and it’s happening. _This time, I am never letting go. _


End file.
